A majority of employees would exercise at work if their employer had a gym

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Dive Brief:

Treadmill Reviews surveyed 2,000 employed, unemployed and retired people about mandatory exercise at work and found that 77.6% would work out more if their employer had a gym they could use during work hours. A close second (76%) would work out if their employer had exercise equipment.

The survey also found that just 40.1% of respondents would go for mandatory in-office exercise. People ages 18 to 29 (42.3%) would like in-office exercising more than any other age group, pointing to millennial and Gen Z interest in wellness programs.

Survey respondents cited the top exercise routines as walking, free gym time, climbing stairs, treadmill walking at a desk and weight-lifting.

Dive Insight:

People know the value of exercising for good health, mandatory or not. That might explain why 77.6% of survey respondents would go along with mandatory in-office exercising if their employers had a gym that was accessible during work hours. Though, any sort of mandatory program should be used with extreme caution. Incentives in wellness programs aren't without controversy, but enticements are viewed more favorably than mandates.

Making exercise accessible is one way to overcome barriers to actually doing it. As researchers in the survey note, the Centers for Disease Control say people don't exercise enough to stay healthy and fit. But employers should ensure their wellness programs support the whole employee — mental and behavioral health included. That may take more of an investment than simply offering an onsite gym, but the good tidings that can come out of it are many.